Friday, August 16, 2019

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products, Inc. Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as the voluntary activities undertaken by a company to operate in an economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner. When companies operate in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner, and they do so transparently, it helps them succeed, in particular through encouraging shared value and social license. Management and mitigation of social and environmental risk factors are increasingly important for business success abroad, as the costs to companies of losing that social license, both in terms of share price and the bottom line, may be significant. JOHNSON & JOHNSON is a good example of a company that follows CSR. In 1982, Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol medication commanded 35 per cent of the US over-the-counter analgesic market – representing something like 15 per cent of the company’s profits. Unfortunately, at that point one individual succeeded in lacing the drug with cyanide. Seven people died as a result, and a widespread panic ensued about how widespread the contamination might be. By the end of the episode, everyone knew that Tylenol was associated with the scare. The company’s market value fell by $1bn as a result. When the same situation happened in 1986, the company had learned its lessons well. It acted quickly – ordering that Tylenol should be recalled from every outlet – not just those in the state where it had been tampered with. Not only that, but the company decided the product would not be re-established on the shelves until something had been done to provide better product protection. As a result, Johnson & Johnson developed the tamperproof packaging that would make it much more difficult for a similar incident to occur in future. The cost was a high one. In addition to the impact on the company’s share price when the crisis first hit, the lost production and destroyed goods as a  result of the recall were considerable. However, the company won praise for its quick and appropriate action. Having sidestepped the position others have found themselves in – of having been slow to act in the face of consumer concern – they achieved the status of consumer champion. Within five months of the disaster, the company had recovered 70% of its market share for the drug – and the fact this went on to improve over time showed that the company had succeeded in preserving the long term value of the brand. In fact, there is some evidence that it was rewarded by consumers who were so reassured by the steps taken that they switched from other painkillers to Tylenol. The features that made Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the crisis a success included the following: †¢They acted quickly, with complete openness about what had happened, and immediately sought to remove any source of danger based on the worst case scenario – not waiting for evidence to see whether the contamination might be more widespread †¢Having acted quickly, they then sought to ensure that measures were taken which would prevent as far as possible a recurrence of the problem †¢They showed themselves to be prepared to bear the short term cost in the name of consumer safety. That more than anything else established a basis for trust with their customers. Johnson & Johnson published their own form of an â€Å"ethics oath† entitled †Our Credoâ€Å", as a way to communicate the mission, vision and accountability that Johnson & Johnson holds itself to for a variety of groups- doctors, nurses, patients, mothers, fathers, employees, those in the communities they operate in, as well as the global community and company stockholders. The Credo was created in 1943 by Robert Wood Johnson, a member of the founding family of the Johnson and Johnson Company. It was created just before the company became a publicly traded entity and long before the term â€Å"corporate social responsibility† was used for accountability in the workplace. On the Johnson and Johnson corporate website, they state that: â€Å"Our Credo challenges us to put the needs and well-being of the people we serve first. Our Credo is more  than just a moral compass- we believe it’s a recipe for business success. As a key player in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, Johnson & Johnson understands the responsibility they have when it comes to providing safe products to their consumers, as the risks tied to faulty products within this industry are particularly sensitive.† As a refresher, here are some of the benefits of having your employees publicly recite an ethics oath: †¢Positive Brand Value †¢Increase in Commitment From Employees †¢Perception + Expectation= Reality †¢EVERYONE is Accountable Many companies use storytelling and the mission of previous company leaders as a way to inspire employees and get them on board when working towards company goals. In the case of Johnson and Johnson, the importance of â€Å"Our Credo† has been evident since conception, and continues to play a signifiacnt role in the company today. When looking at the above benefits that an ethics oath can provide a company, Johnson and Johnson has been able to experience the rewards associated with each of these benefits. The story of Johnson and Johnson’s â€Å"Our Credo† is a great example of the positive impact a corporate ethics oath can have on a company.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Was Napoleon Was Despot, Revolutionary or Both?

James C Grade 12 W. W history 1/15/12 Was napoleon a revolutionary, despot or both ? The question ponders through the mind of hundreds: Was Napoleon a revolutionary, despot or was he both? The information provided shows he was both a revolutionary and a despot. Here are the four main points: he was a prominent figure, taking initiative in leaving France, explaining how he started out, and how he betrayed the French revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte was a prominent figure during the French revolution. Napoleons legacy as a leader showed him as a skilled administrator who used his intelligence not only to navigate the French, but he also aided other countries through many hard fought battles. Napoleon was distinguished military man that carried the burden of his territory with great courage until the day he died. When he left France he was in his early 20’s and went back home to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, during the French revolution. When he got to Corsica he joined Pasqual Paoli who was a freedom fighter, and a revolutionist. Through this move, Napoleon succeeded in becoming a lieutenant-colonel of the national guard of Corsica in 1792. Even though Napoleon was a revolutionary, he didn’t approve of the way France was going crazy during the revolution. Napoleon came into power and then put a stop to the revolution in 1799. Even though Napoleon started out as a revolutionary he certainly became a despot once he was in charge of France. Napoleon introduced strict censorship and imprisonment without trail although there were elected legislative bodies under his regime. Legislative bodies had virtually no power and Napoleon ruled almost entirely by imperial decree. Napoleon influenced by roman law he gave immense power to male heads of the family. Napoleon deprived women of all their right they gained in the revolutionary decade. As shown in many other examples before and after Napoleon, he may have started out as a revolutionary but he eventually became a despot. Whether that made him a dictator or not is matter of semantics. Napoleon also betrayed the French revolution at the same time as being a revolutionary. If he betrayed the revolution, then he betrayed the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. The ideals rather than realities that allegedly betrayed. The reality of the French revolution is 8 periods of constant change and successions of polices and leaders. With each new leader and party bringing amendments to the revolution. Napoleons â€Å"coupd’e tat of 18 brumaire was in insurance against both Jacobin revolutionist and royalist restoration. The French people expected him to bring back peace, order and to consolidate the political and social conquest of the revolution. Napoleon considers this conquest to be â€Å"the sacred rights of property, equality and liberty. † Napoleon also seized control of island greates cycecs to France and churches. This is the answer to the question that ponders on peoples mind: Was Napoleon a revolutionary, despot or was he both? The information provided above shows that Napoleon was both and not just revolutionary or despot.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Asses the View That Pressure Groups Benefit Democracy

Pressure groups have many features about them that determine whether they are democratic or undemocratic. If we have to determine whether Pressure Groups benefit democracy or not, we have to know what part they play in our society. As we know, pluralists have a very positive view on pressure group politics; believing that they promote healthy debate and discussion. This is true in some aspects of society and our democracy, but pressure groups also have many undemocratic features about them. Firstly, the most important democratic feature of pressure groups is their way of representing the people in our society. Their main function is to represent our interests and those who are of minority, making sure that their voice gets heard, whether we take an active part or not. To demonstrate how representative they really are, in virtually all our activities, there is probably a group which is seeking to secure favourable legislation or decisions and to avoid unfavourable ones. However, some pressure group leaders may not truly represent their members. Trade union leaders were charged with this and it remains a danger. Furthermore, party politicians are made accountable for their actions through the electoral process and through representative institutions; which is seen as vey democratic. Pressure Group leaders are not accountable, which means that if they don’t fulfil their representative aims we can’t do anything about it which conveys that pressure groups are undemocratic. However, pressure groups are seen as very democratic when it comes to participation, and how they are making many more people partake in politics, and make politics more aware to people. A passive citizenship is often seen as an extreme danger to democracy; many people do not involve themselves in political activity; producing the strong probability that the government will become dictatorial, safe in that they know that they’re power will probably not get challenged. Pressure groups are therefore important because firstly they prevent excessive accumulations of power and to ensure that government remains accountable to the people. It is known that especially young people enjoy taking part in demonstrations which is evidence for pressure groups trying to get people more politically aware as active. However, pressure groups are queried as undemocratic; due to their disproportionate influence. Some pressure groups do not conform to democratic principles around the nature of influence. If all groups enjoyed the amount of influence which their size and importance warranted, the outcome might be considered democratic however, some groups wield more power that their relative importance. For example, the farming community accounts for a tiny proportion of the total population but farms are responsible for much of our food supply. Finally, pressure groups most important democratic feature is the fact that they make sure all of us, in small or large groups, are taken account of, awarded an equal status, and protected. If this does not work, we will simply be ruled by the majority, which ultimately means that nothing would change. Majority rule also, is not a true democracy. Seeking majority support, political parties will inevitably have to ignore the interests of many minorities. Pressure groups therefore play a very vital part in ensuring that party rule is not converted into tyranny and minority groups are heard. Another undemocratic factor however that can balance how democratic pressure groups really is their size and finance. It is clear that some pressure groups are considerably more wealthy than others, having an unfair advantage. Everyone from sectional interests inevitably gain funds whereas charities have to get their funds from the public. It is seen as undemocratic, because with particular wealthy groups, they have adopted the practice of donating money to political parties in order to seek a sympathetic government. An example of this is the event â€Å"cash for peerages† where it was alleged that money was being donated in return for peerages. Furthermore pressure groups size is seen as a very undemocratic factor because even though some pressure groups have a sheer amount of numbers to go on to protest, it does not always reflect the public opinion. For example, The ban on hunting with dogs for example, 300,000 took to the streets and put the government into panic. However, the majority of those people wanted a full ban on fox hunting. In conclusion, weighing up the democratic and undemocratic features, overall, pressure groups do benefit democracy. Firstly they promote healthy debate and discussion. Pressure groups have made many more people politically aware and have increased the amount of political participation through demonstrations, protest, marches and even petitions. They may even be the reason for the increase of election turnout in 2010 elections due to them making people more politically aware. Another way that pressure groups benefit democracy is their role of representation towards minorities as well as everyone in our society. Even though pressure groups do have some aspects to them that are seen as very undemocratic, pressure group politics is a very healthy way of strengthening our government.

I Was Waitlisted - What Do I Do Now?

Hearing back about your college admissions decisions may be one of the most stressful things you’ve yet experienced. You’ll probably feel some combination of excitement and dread while waiting to find out whether your first-choice college will be sending a â€Å"Congratulations!† or a â€Å"We regret to inform you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But what if, when you open that envelope or log into that application system, the answer is neither? As you probably know, a certain number of college applicants are neither accepted nor rejected on that notification date in March or April. Instead, they’re waitlisted — placed on a list of applicants who may be reconsidered in the coming months, should there be gaps in the freshman class. Obviously, being put on the waitlist is not the acceptance for which you’ve been hoping, and getting waitlisted can be quite disappointing. However, you may still have a chance at being admitted to your chosen school. In this post, we’ll go over the waitlist process, your waitlist action plan, and how to make the best of this situation. If you are placed on a college’s waitlist, you have not been accepted to that college. However, the college is telling you that if there ends up being space in the incoming freshman class, they may consider admitting you to fill that space. Why might there be space in the matriculating class for waitlist candidates? Often, it’s because fewer accepted applicants chose to actually attend the college than the admissions office anticipated; in other words, their yield was lower than they expected. It might also be because some accepted students chose to defer admission for a year and take a gap year. Having a waitlist allows the school to fill any remaining spaces with qualified candidates, thus both ensuring they’ll have a complete class and making a handful of lucky students very happy. In many ways, this is a win-win situation for colleges and college applicants, but in order for you to have the best possible chance at eventually being admitted , it’s important that you understand the waitlist process and use it to good advantage. Because space for waitlisted candidates depends upon how many accepted applicants choose to attend, waitlist decisions can’t be made until the college hears back from this original batch of applicants. Since most colleges have response deadlines of around May 1st, this means that you won’t hear back about your waitlist application until at least May. Different schools have different procedures for considering waitlisted applicants. For some schools, the process can stretch out over the summer. Fortunately, most schools will inform you once the waitlist acceptance process is over even if you weren’t accepted, so you won’t have to live with uncertainty for longer than necessary. It’s hard to say what your chances will be of getting off the waitlist. A great deal of that depends on your profile as an applicant. Generally, the waitlist admissions process considers all the same factors that were considered when you initially applied, though (as we’ll describe below) you’ll also have the opportunity to update the college about any new accomplishments. Waitlist acceptance rates vary from school to school and even from year to year; it all depends upon how the regular admissions process goes that year. Some colleges have ranked waitlists, in which the college’s admissions office already knows who will be offered admission in what order if spaces open up, but many don’t. With all this unpredictability, the waitlist process offers no guarantees, and it’s important that you keep this fact in mind. The number of spots that open up in the matriculating class is often quite low, and consequently, so are waitlist admissions rates. In some years, at some competitive schools, no waitlisted applicants can be admitted at all. You can choose not to stay on the waitlist if you wish, meaning that you’re giving up your chance to be considered for later admission. If you’re excited about another school that has offered you admission, it may be preferable to you to take that offer and begin making solid future plans rather than waiting around. There’s nothing wrong with taking that path. Still, most of the time, someone is accepted off of the waitlist. If you’re still strongly interested in attending that college, and you’re willing to accept not knowing your status for a while longer, it may be worthwhile for you to stay on the waitlist and put in some additional work to make sure you’re as strong a candidate as you can be. If you do choose to remain on the waitlist, you’ll have some work ahead of you in order to maximize your waitlist potential. Below, we’ll go over how to figure out the best approach for your particular college, what to do in order to secure your waitlist spot and update your application profile, and why it’s still essential that you have a strong backup plan. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. In order for you to get accepted off the waitlist, you first need to make sure that you’re on the waitlist. Many schools require that you do something specific to indicate that you’re accepting a spot on the waitlist, such as filling out an online form or sending an email to a particular address. As we discussed above, your waitlist notification will usually tell you exactly how to confirm (or turn down) your waitlist spot. If your school does not give specific instructions, you’ll need to write the admissions office a formal letter notifying them of your decision. If your school uses a specific procedure, use that procedure, and you’ll often be able to submit a more detailed letter as well — ask your admissions office for advice. In your letter, you should explicitly state your intention to stay on the waitlist. You should also reiterate your strong interest in attending that college if you are eventually accepted. Keep your letter relatively succinct, though — the admissions office already has access to your application, so you don’t need to repeat information that they already know. What you can include is information about any new accomplishments you’ve achieved since you submitted your initial application for admission. New accomplishments can also include ways in which you’ve significantly improved your original applicant profile. If you’ve retaken a standardized test and achieved a substantially higher score — for example, a change of more than 150 points in your SAT score — informing the college might  help your application. The same is true if your grades have improved by more than one letter grade. Smaller improvements in grades or scores probably won’t make much of a difference. Depending on the nature of these updates, some of them may require you to submit additional information. For example, if you have a higher SAT score to report, you must also remember to order an official score report to be sent to the college by the College Board . If you want to send in any other supplemental information at this point, first, call the college and ask if they’ll take that information into consideration. Some colleges won’t even look at supplemental materials, and it’s a waste of time to prepare any. Remember, the college already has your application; you can make updates, but you can’t rewrite the whole thing. Don’t forget to do your research on the college’s website and even call the college’s admissions office if you’re at all uncertain about whether or not to include a particular achievement or piece of information in your letter. It’s also a good idea to have someone read your letter before you send it — this would not be a good time for typos or other silly errors. Finally, in making and carrying out your waitlist action plan, you need to follow any specific instructions that you’re given by the college. As we’ve mentioned, some schools have more specific procedures than others regarding what to do when you’re waitlisted. If a school uses a particular online system to collect information, for example, make sure you use that system rather than just submitting a separate letter. Conversely, don’t do anything the college tells you not to do. If the college tells you that they don’t accept additional letters of recommendation for waitlisted students, don’t send one in. If the college tells you that you can’t arrange for an additional interview or admissions meeting, don’t show up unannounced and demand to see the Dean of Admissions. (Yes, things like this do occasionally happen.) Not following directions can only hurt an admissions officer’s perception of you as a candidate, even if you’re breaking the rules in an attempt to portray yourself in a better light. Being perceived as rude also won’t help. As always, being polite and respectful to admissions representatives is essential — these are the people you’re trying to impress, after all. While you might be tempted to call the admissions office every day to find out if there’s been any change in your status, it’s best to stifle the impulse to check in too frequently. Once you’ve done your best to update your application, you can be hopeful while still moving on with your life. In the next section, we’ll offer some advice about making backup plans while waiting to hear about your waitlist application. Making a backup plan involves confronting the reality that in the end, most waitlisted applicants will not be accepted . This doesn’t necessarily reflect poorly on you — competitive colleges have to turn down many qualified applicants , and there’s always an element of chance. Still, it can be hard to give up on your dream school or your mental plans for your college career. The good news is that, in many ways, college is what you make of it. Even if another college doesn’t initially seem perfect, it can still be a great fit for you. While you’re waiting for news about your waitlist status, for your own safety and sanity, you need to continue moving forward with your plans as if you’re not going to be accepted to your waitlist school, and think about how to make the most of life at another school. First, you’ll need to make a big decision: Which school’s offer of acceptance will you go with? Evaluating your choices and coming to a final decision is rarely easy, and its complexities deserve their own blog post: How to Deal With College Decisions and Make a Choice . Once you’ve made your decision about where to attend, do whatever that school asks you to do in order to secure your spot in the matriculating class. Don’t worry about this decision impacting your chances of admission off the waitlist — it won’t, and the college that waitlisted you knows that making a backup plan is a wise and mature move. Many schools ask admitted applicants to submit some type of deposit in order to confirm their enrollment, and sometimes also to confirm on-campus housing. These deposits are often nonrefundable, meaning that if you get accepted off the waitlist at your first-choice college and withdraw from your backup college, you won’t get your money back. Enrollment and housing deposits are not insignificant, especially if your family income is on the lower end. However, despite the potential monetary loss, this is the safest way to proceed if you want to remain on the waitlist. If you’re unsure whether you can afford to do this, discuss the situation with your family and your guidance counselor for more advice. Don’t just choose a backup school to attend — embrace that choice! Instead of dwelling on what might have been, throw yourself into learning about all the opportunities that await you at the school you plan to attend. For more advice on how to deal with this situation, check out our blog post Envisioning a New Future: Preparing for Life at Your Second-Choice (Or Third, Or Fourth) School . What if you do get that coveted acceptance letter over the summer? If you make your plans well, it’ll be an exciting surprise rather than an agonizing wait. There’s even the chance that you’ll change your mind and decide to stick with your second-choice school. Either way, you can rest easy knowing that you handled the situation with maturity and foresight. Do you have more questions about the waitlist and how to manage your waitlist status? Check out the blog for more posts about the waitlist experience: Are you looking for some help in perfecting your update letter? Our experienced consultants can assist you in crafting a compelling waitlist letter that truly shows off your achievements and potential. Learn more about our College Applications Program , where successful grads from top colleges guide students every step of the applications process, from creating a school list to preparing for interviews to writing waitlist letters.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Ian Strachan argues that tourism is a neo-colonial enterprise that Essay

Ian Strachan argues that tourism is a neo-colonial enterprise that marginalizes blacks. Write a research based ARGUMENT in favour of this assertion - Essay Example urism is considered to be the world’s largest industry and some regions are endowed with natural and manmade resources that are conducive to developing the economy based on these resources. But tourism or any other industry for that matter should not just be a money making endeavor for investors. It should benefit the stakeholders (including employees, the local population, and other ancillary industries) at all levels for sustenance and growth. The Caribbean islands are considered to be one of the prime tourist destinations in the world, primarily due to its natural resources. This paper is a review of the tourism industry with regard to the economic development of the local population in the region. It is based on an article by Ian Strachan, titled, ‘Paradise and Plantation’. The author is of the view that economic well being is skewed towards foreign investors at the cost of the economic development of the local population. Colonialism has caused many of its ne gative effects to continue in neo-colonial societies (after gaining independence and sovereignty). Research on this area tends to agree with what Strachan has stated from his research and studies. Ian Strachan provides a powerful argument against the exploitation or neglect of the local population in the tourism industry of the Caribbean Islands. Effective advertising about genuine tourist attractions can naturally attract people to travel to destinations of their liking. It is extremely practical or prudent for governments and other agencies to promote a place attractive to visitors. The author states that even though tourism is a big industry, it has developed, to a large extent, at the cost of the local population. In Strachan’s words, â€Å"however distant this imagined, heavily promoted, and staged Eden may be from everyday experience of the majority of the Caribbeans, it is a fantasy that the regions’ nations encourage their citizenry to maintain for the benefit of tourists† (Strachan,

Monday, August 12, 2019

Islamic accounting and financial reporting Essay

Islamic accounting and financial reporting - Essay Example However, in certain scenarios, the accounting principles in most of the Islamic countries have also experienced major complexities due to their dissimilarities prevailing within the globally accepted accounting standards (Yaya, 2004). In relation to conventional insurance principle, the primary objective of Shari’ah is generally identified to be a concept of survival of individuals. With regard to this particular notion, the primary objective of insurance industry in the Islamic countries is to protect each individual from various risks that are likely to link with their life, health and/or wealth. In the context of the Islamic law agenda, the term insurance is acceptable owing to the general standards and provisions of Sharia’ah’s law (Arbouna, n.d.). The primary purpose of this essay is to critically explore the particular features of Takaful operations that differs them from the conventional insurance firms. The study also explains the key factors and reporting requirements that are frequently observed to create various conflicts with International Financing Reporting Standard (IFRS) for insurance companies. Term ‘Takaful’ is defined as a system in the Islamic insurance segment based on the guiding codes of ‘ta’awun† (mutual assistance) and ‘tabarru’ (voluntary contribution) (Matsawali & et.al, 2012). The Takaful industry in the Islamic accounting and reporting sector is often observed to experience rapid development in different nations since the previous few decades (Matsawali & et.al, 2012). In relation to the recent guidelines followed in the insurance sector, the Islamic insurance companies are able to formulate effective methods that are generally applied by conventional insurance companies to maximise profit and build strong relationship with a valid form of contract among both the parties involved in particular insurance. However, Takaful can be observed as such a system, which does not ensure offering adequate rights to the

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Two topics for two different papers, Broken Windows & Prison Essay

Two topics for two different papers, Broken Windows & Prison - Essay Example But however factual reports and research show that the broken window theory could definitely have an impact in crime reduction and it can be taken as a foundation for other crime reduction strategies. The other article by Wilson and Kelling brings to light the role of foot patrolling officers in helping public regain confidence on law and order. A disorderly place, not necessarily a place where crime occurs per se, becomes an area of fear especially for people living in and around the place. Foot patrolling officers in the earlier days helped remove this fear among the public through order-maintenance. However, in the following years police have been burdened with the additional role of law-enforcement, as a result of which they are forced to abide by certain rules. This has not helped them in achieving their primary duty of order maintenance. According to the authors, one effective alternative to this developing situation could be citizen patrolling. Good examples of which include c ommunity watchmen and setting up of vigilante groups. Despite the efforts by the general public, the patrolling effect of a policeman can be hard to achieve. Thus the article stresses that men in duty should be encouraged to do their extra bit in order to achieve communal harmony. The article ‘The Prison- Industrial Complex’ by Eric Schlosser throws light about the prison system in the United States. The US now has the distinction of holding more citizens in prison than any other country in the world. And a majority of the prison inmates is constituted by non-violent offenders. This has lead to the prison being viewed as an industrial complex, with more prisons being built to house more people. These prisons home a wide variety of criminals, law offenders, even those who are mentally ill, and with respect to their race about half the inmates in the US prisons are African-Americans, and the number of women inmates have